Ready, Set, Go! (and curricula choices)

Hi, there! After a very extended, very needed break from the blog....we are actually ready to start school on schedule! Whoohoo! I feel (mostly) prepared enough and (mostly) organized enough to go ahead and get started. Usually at this point I am giving myself on more week to get it together. Not this year!
After 5 years of homeschooling I have finally got it together… mostly.
Actually we have already started…sort of. I decided that it might be a good idea to spend a week or so easing back into school by doing seat work and core subjects before we added My Father’s World. It has worked great. We have spent the last week concentrating on getting back into the rhythm of things by doing only our seat work subjects. (Math, Language, Writing, etc.) Going back to school was much less overwhelming this way.
We will add the rest of our schedule gradually over the next two weeks.
I am planning on starting My Father’s World Creation to Greeks tomorrow. This is our history, science and Bible. There are also elements of reading and writing throughout the program. We do this together and they each work at their own level. Here is what each grit will be doing on her own…Dancing Grit (10 years old)

Math U See (Delta-Epsilon)

Math Fact Flashcards

All About Spelling (I am switching from Spelling Power for a while. I started AAS with my other two last year and love it. I feel like it will benefit my oldest to breeze through the lower levels, get all the rules firmly under her belt, ad then settle on a level more her speed. When we finish all 7 levels I plan on switching back to Spelling Power.)

Intermediate Language Lessons

Writing Strands (Level 3)

A Reason for Handwriting (cursive-she just uses this for copy work)

God and Art (This is part of My Father’s World Creation to Greeks, but I am only having her do it this year.)

I Can Do All Things (We skipped this when it was assigned earlier in MFW. I made each grit a workbook in a Poly Binder to work through this year. Since she is doing two art programs this year she will be allowed to work more leisurely on this one.)

Extra Curricular: Piano (second year), Ballet III, AWANA

Sporty Grit (8 years old)

All About Spelling (level 2)

All About Reading (level 2 when it comes out. This curriculum has been a life saver for us!)

Primary Language Lessons (I will try to add this after we get through with AAR level 2)

Click N Read (for review and supplementing)

Math U See (Beta-Gamma)

Cursive First (as a review)

I Can Do All Things

Flash Cards and Manipulative (as needed)

Extra Curricular: Piano (first year), Acrobatics II, AWANA

Goofy Grit (7 years old)

All About Reading (level 1-we are actually almost done. this was more of a review over the summer. We’ll move into level 2 as soon as her sister is done with it)

All About Spelling (level 1)

Math U See (Alpha-Beta)

Cursive First

I Can Do All Things

Flash Cards, Manipulative (as needed)

Extra Curricular: Ballet II, AWANA

Baby Grit (3 1/2 years old)

My Father’s World From A to Z (I am only going to do the things I think she is ready for)

Activity Bags

Manipulative and fun!

I read something over at Holy Spirit Homeschooling that I loved. She describes their school as “natural paced.” I think that is a perfect way to describe the way we school. I meet them where they are, with the curriculum I think will work, and we go from there. We slow down or speed up when it is necessary. We switch it up when we have to, and I try to remember that eventually we will get it all in.

Hope everyone else is getting excited and gearing up for the new school year, too.

Home School or Public School!

2012-2013 HERE WE COME!

Have any questions about specific curricula we are using? Post it in the comments and I will be sure to answer. Have some advice for me? Post that, too! I would love to know anything you think could help me out!
I will be sharing our school house this week, too! Notice I said house and not room? We home school. We use our entire home! Hope you'll come back and check it out!Have a blessed day!
~Joyce~

5 comments:

Thanks for stopping in you two! Looks like a very busy year when I see it all laid out! But, I am really looking forward to it. So glad I decided to stick with MFW. This past year has been such a blessing! I can not wait to see what we will be getting out of Creation to Greeks!

It is easy to teach and has been very easy for my girls to understand so far. There are video lessons for each unit where the creator of the program teaches each new concept. My girls pick up the concepts easily. Every once in a while I have to go over it with them, but so far these videos have done most of the teaching at my house.